Speak

Speak is a language-learning app built around actually speaking a new language rather than studying grammar rules first. It follows a three-step approach the company calls the Speak Method: learners first see phrases native speakers commonly use, then practice repeating them until they become automatic, and finally apply them in open conversation with an AI tutor called Speak Tutor. The AI tutor listens to spoken input and gives real-time feedback on pronunciation and phrasing, aiming to simulate the back-and-forth of a live conversation without the pressure of talking to another person. The app currently supports English speakers learning Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian, or Simplified Chinese, and separately offers English lessons for non-native speakers. It is built by Speakeasy Labs and has received investment and a product partnership from the OpenAI Startup Fund. Speak is distributed as a mobile app on iOS and Android, with a 7-day free trial followed by Premium and Premium Plus subscription tiers; Premium Plus adds a custom lesson generator and expanded use of the AI tutor. One limitation is that the curriculum is narrow: it covers a fixed set of six outbound languages, so it is not a general-purpose option for less common languages.